Adventures in vegan eats and feats

Upside down banana + cranberry blondie cakes (gf)

The banana fest continues! I still have so many left, but luckily the internet is here to help. Admittedly it doesn’t aid my electricity bill any, after promising myself to be good and make things only once or so a week. I think at some point I need to dedicate a day to bake all sorts of monstrosities that I’ve been desperate to try out and then go donate them at the orphanage where I used to volunteer years ago. I know from experience that babies + crying + poo nappies = desperate need for comfort food, or at least something better than P&J sandwiches. Not that I scoff at the lordly impact of such a fine treat, but babies drive me crazy beyond the point where sandwiches can save me. Still, I went to go learn about babies before my sister was born so that I wouldn’t be an ass and mishandle her, so I owe that place a lot in terms of teaching me patience and building human connections with babies, even though Man-thing and I don’t plan to have any of our own.

So off topic! Today’s feast is a banana blondie, I guess! I’ve been eyeing this deliciously easy and yummy looking recipe from over at Including Cake for a while now, and decided it was time (past time, in fact, judging by how squishy my bananas were!). Some changes were made, but either way the scaffolding of this recipe is a win.

I doubled the recipe and made some minor changes, which are listed below for the sake of convenience.

Add the dry ingredients and blend/process til combined. If it’s too dry add some water in TBSP batches.

I used three little loaf pans/mini bundt moulds – whatever suits your fancy! I could probably fill a square 8″ pan but I can’t vouch for it.

Layer the sliced banana and cranberries on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the bananas have begun to caramelize and a tester stick comes out clean. I like my cakes firm but moist, but personal preference rules all. My baking time took longer than the original because of the cannelini beans I suspect, but I loved the crispiness of the cranberries with the ooey nom of the baked bananas. What a win!

IF you don’t want it too squishy inside but don’t want to burn the cake/s just put some foil on top after baking for 25-30 minutes and let it go on for another 10 or so, or until you are satisfied.

So lovely and moist inside! I’m sure one could bake it even longer as a kind of crispy bread-cake, but warmed up in the micro with some slathers of jam or peanut butter? Oh yum! Takes the combination to a whole other level. The nut butter in the recipe itself is perceptible and adds that slight bit of hearty delicacy to the matter.

It seems there was no actual point in my putting out a fork for Man-thing since he just picked up a slice and took a big bite just like that. Men! Anyway, do you see the awesome squishy interior? Perfect to pop into the toaster for a few seconds to get a really crazy effect – then your nut butter or jam will simply glee at being slathered atop!

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Ahoy, I’m Margaux! History teacher and freelance editor; wench to my Man-thing; volunteer at a cat shelter; and handmaiden to our kitsy cats, Gatsby, Freyja and Atlas. This blog is dedicated to vegan food, occasionally overthrown by pictures of foster kittens and other fluffy creatures. I love sharing ideas and recipes, so don't be shy: stop by and say hi!